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Still Mind Aikido
Westchester, NY
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914-648-0492

Yang Tai Chi & Shaolin Kung Fu

Tai Chi - Turn Back the Clock of Aging

Tai Chi & Kung Fu

Nature of Martial Arts Training: Imagine a customer walks up to the counter in a drugstore and asks, "I would like to buy some peace of mind. What aisle do you have that on?" As we all know, true peace of mind doesn't come in a bottle. It requires commitment and hard work.

Benefits of Training

Turning back the clock of aging.

A Lifestyle for Optimal Health
  • Western doctors often recommended tai chi practice to their patients for the many phyiscal and mental health benefits. As Western medicine grapples with the concept of longevity, the moderate excercise and lifestyle factors of tai chi are ideal.
  • Tai chi, translated as yin-yang balance, is rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine. TCM balances the body to prevent illness and optimize wellness. Yoga may offer many of the same benefits in stress reduction and loosening the joints in particular. Avoiding the current tendency to jump from teacher to teacher without developing an in depth understanding of a specific curriculum will insure full benefits of that practice.
Tai Chi Chuan is Effective Self Defense
  • The slow moving form of tai chi chuan is rooted in "mind force." The focus of self defense is to receive/release the opponents force and "stick on" the attacker to control them.
  • The explosive Shaolin kung fu form is rooted in "physical force" and uses powerful blocks and strikes that can injure an attacker.
  • The combined system merges mind force with physical force. The result maybe a powerful block to injure the attacking arm, followed by sticking on the opponent to receive/release or return their force back to them. The practice begins with the study of solo forms in depth without a partner to make certain that we learn to rely upon technique under pressure rather than simply resorting to muscle.
Improve Relationships
Building healthy relationships
Peaceful, Happy People Have Better Relationships
  • Peaceful conflict resolution - sharing peace within creates harmonious relationships to stop violence before it starts.
  • Emotional hygeine - transforming emotions from negative to positive staves off violence
  • Inner peace & positive emotions produce better work and family relationships
Improve Relationships
Training to be relaxed and aware
Avoid the Accident/Minimizing Harm
  • Comprehensive awareness through quietude and training peripheral vision
  • Relaxation and confidence while under pressure for good decisions and decisive execution
  • Awareness avoids accidents. Relaxation and confidence helps find your best opportunity and execute well
martial arts to improve awareness
Rolling defrays impact
Avoid the Fall/Minimizing Harm
  • Balance from learning to maintain a verticle line of posture in the form.
  • Rolling, relaxation and chi energy can be taught in special falling classes for tai chi students
  • Many have told us stories of simply recovering their balance on the other foot instead of tripping by maintaining their verticle posture

About Tai Chi Practice

Master Yu (1929 - 2010) - What is Tai Chi/Why Study
Brief introduction before push hands competition
Yang Tai Chi - Shaolin Kung Fu

Master Yu taught that studying tai chi is to study the most efficient way to do something. Once you realize the most efficient way to do one thing, you can generalize it to everything else. You find the most efficient way to fight off an illness or disease as well as an opponent. He taught that one must have great respect for form, as it contains the secrets that can reveal themselves to a person through practice. These are the principles showing the most efficient way to do something...anything.

Training and Community

Unique Characteristics of Yang Tai Chi

Yang Tai Chi
  • Extensive focus on health
  • Primarily study based upon forms
  • Slow moving meditation
  • Daily solo forms practice
Master Yu's Yang Style
  • Not simply holding the ball, but understanding it:
    point makes line/line makes square/square makes round
  • Full force in weighted and unweighted legs at all times
  • Rich in detail and precision to examine principles
  • Clear understanding of martial application

Testimonials

Sabrina - mid 20's

What I found doing aikido and tai chi for over two years now was the perfect balance of working out the body and mind. I feel stronger, healthier, and more confident. Starting anything can be very intimidating, especially a martial art. I had never done a martial art before but I realized it's more than just a fitness class...The cross training of tai chi and aikido has helped me strengthen my body and root myself to the ground...

George - 70

The Tai Chi classes help with balance, coordination, and perseverance. Steve, who teaches Tai Chi, also has extensive experience in the martial arts. He adds additional insights to Tai Chi by relating the movements to their martial arts origins...I also attend the Hatha Yoga classes at Still Minds conducted by Matt. These Yoga classes are physically invigorating and are certain to lift your spirits. Matt tunes each of his classes to match, with just the right amount of stretch, the capabilities of the students.

Jose - age 50

...I am an osteopathic physician with a holistic traditional osteopath practice in which I have been practicing and deepening my understanding of osteopathy at many levels for almost 2 decades. In this realm, I treat patients at many different levels which may include at a boney level, muscle level, fascial level, fluid level, energetic level, spiritual level or more. Many times in our aikido practice, I have mentioned to Sensei, that he is talking and living osteopathy…of life. You see, it seems to understand aikido or osteopathy, we should be living life and understanding life's preciousness and value...